The reaction rates for the transesterification reaction were measured on the excess sucrose with the five fatty acid methyl ester systems such as methyl laurate, methyl myristate, methyl palmitate, methyl stearate and methyl oleate at temperature rang...
The reaction rates for the transesterification reaction were measured on the excess sucrose with the five fatty acid methyl ester systems such as methyl laurate, methyl myristate, methyl palmitate, methyl stearate and methyl oleate at temperature range of $50^{\circ}C$ to $90^{\circ}C$ in N,N-dimethylformamide solvent and potassium carbonate as a catalyst. Their activation parameters as well as rate constants were calculated from these measurements. And these reactions were found to be pseudo-first order and depended mainly on the structural changes in fatty acid residue of methyl esters. Also their reactions were found to be of enthalpy-controlled, which were disfavored in the order of methyl laurate, methyl myristate, methyl palmitate, methyl oleate and methyl stearate. Correspondingly their activation energies were 9.3, 9.9, 10.3, 10.9 and 11.1 kcal/mole, respectively.